Eye On Unalaska; Interview with Milt and Cora Holmes
- Transcript
Hi this is Kate deafened all for another segment of my own in Alaska and this week we are very very privileged to have with us s very special guest Milton Cora Holmes. Hi guys. I carry now you guys are from a strange place on the other end of this island and I think that there's probably a lot of our viewers out there that are new to Tehran and they don't even know that anything exists on the other end of this island. So tell us exactly where it is that you're located. Milt you want to go first. That's one Western man that harbored the darker down there. My. Friend. Do you go by plane or boat. It makes a difference for me but my only drive one of their go around. Yeah I live. Right on the backbone. Yeah I go by plane. Are you sure. Yeah I know the name of the place is what turned on the harbor giver. Now Milt you were there a long time ago. And what. Was left. Was 94 here. Oh.
Thanksgiving day really. Now what were you going to why why did you go there how did you hear about. Well it was a job buying for adventure here. Oh yeah I heard about it for the war in the divers but then the war I would get for cheap. We had many cheap you can find cheaper. To live if you go to war. So I want to do. I was hiking around and. Found another. Place for someone that camped in there was a. Safety net that I didn't get mail very often. I sit down and read the newspaper and it was a little article it was written by a woman. Who was living up here at the time. Man. Ranch she was down Boise for medical. The Lard of. The Boise paper. She mentions that I've said things about it said that she was looking for a young couple up there
are many places they can. Get. One. Place that intrigued me and I don't. Want to. Tell me I should take that. Right. Here. So I covered up. My bill. Here. They were there when I. Got married. Turned out that her parents knew she lived up here really are new people that knew her. I'm not going to work around the room found out that they are still looking for work up. Here. So. Why. Do we. Go out there and away late. Now you came up for yourself the first every. Year and they had two too small to look we didn't hear. Both of them are already happening in Iraq looking. For the night after Stanley was born. My. Wife came up. About. Born back in Idaho and. Back. Where. We stayed 3 1/2 years back. On
Right. Now with our hat. BOX. I go where. You're. From. Right. And then you came back. After how many got came back up again. I'm 60. Shoulder probably down 64. OK so you have to block the range that you had work. Yeah yeah. How many acres he had out there. Well we have 85 deeded acres on. A leash that. Was a hundred and fifty two cells. My goodness and you ran sheep and cattle you know most of the sheep you know. Gradually built up. Here. And. Now. What was the market for the sheep. Cool. OK. OK and we're ready to go. Well you know before I go on this one too. Or it could work at low. Level. People on the ranch. After I bought it. We'll come.
Back. Here. OK so was that a big Got You obviously it was a big operation how many people or maybe not many people that you have working are a bunch of families here and we can. And we're. Going. To. Be. OK. And what was what was a typical season hearing for getting along with it takes an hour to start in June usually and. I. Hardly ever gotten all of. Them. Just. Here. Yeah and that's when you had to go out around lunch right because they were pinned up out there anywhere they just ran free. My goodness how many here did you have out there around the world. We got after we shared over a thousand head with my gun. With the lamb. They had a. Problem. That's incredible. Now your voice grew up out there. Yeah yeah they did their. Room and they have both lived here in the in the village. Yeah I don't know their. Home. You know. And Stan is down in
Washington. Yeah yeah. So proud you're here right now. Right. And for those of our viewers don't understand what Stan Grant. Well service. Yeah. And. And had the bus and. The record. Business and all of that. So. Yeah. Well in fact they have. Why is. Linking Anderson with your sister. Yeah so there that's the connection. You know. That's I think one thing that we got. Here. Yeah. So yeah you can always praise people for the number of people and now along about the late 70s then Corey you came into the picture. Right right right. Yeah well that's an interesting story and you know the company that was running the ranch at that time there was it because the race was lease is that right for a company or up with the right of it right. The Doctor. A company called offering services they had six big crowd some people might remember. On the north.
Northern Command. Commander. Before coming. On the art. And. They used that word. That was sort of their. Core. Group. And then you. Know you come from either. Down for. You. And you have an ad in the paper. I answer that. Question. Two kids 14 and I am. That. You are. So. Right and I. And I got it. I actually got it. In you know some. Rather when. He was 10 years old and he checked in was a cub scout meeting a Boy Scout meeting and I remember sitting on the couch with a. Picture album with this 10 year old boy in here
showing him all these pictures. And was just really. Impressed. So when he offered us a job a couple weeks later. We were as Darrick I can remember. Dancing around. You you will not appreciate him dancing around the living room holding hands and saying we're going to go on tour. Maybe we will find out more. Look in the encyclopedia we looked. And we found one paragraph on the Aleutian Islands. If you're 17 I doubt this much and there was one picture and it sure goes all Russian counties that are over again you see they were bolted on a doctor ADAP overlooking the water and that was that was the only thing is said something about a hostile environment. And there were severe weather conditions a little bit of fishing industry and scattered sheep ranchers who were. Going through she breaks the H&M encyclopedia.
Boy this was really a very old story that we threw out there we flew to Seattle and the company had a business manager there that that helped us do all the things that we. Do together here. Right here Nancy. Good Morning America acting or wearing your Olympic glory were through earth or for that purpose were to diggers took us out on the goose step. Turn off here was a beautiful day and I remember coming down and you're not even old Bruno. There was just 10 days of the kind and yet this is. Turned around that last. Night. Ended with. Chuck Chuck. Do you we was I mean all those beautiful day we were all in the Balkans that was not there to live in for. A trip into the bathroom trip last. Year you would appreciate that story more well I'm going to be sad a really hard time going
some where they still profit out with seasickness and airsickness and things go blue last night and so when you ring when you first got out there was if anything at all I like you thought it was going to be. I don't know whether I ever really even thought about how it was going. I just knew that was bad what I had. Yeah I knew that I had to do. What I had. And. It was an adventure. Yeah it was more dangerous than I thought it was going to be. I had a lot of problems with two boys who suddenly on with. Access to courses right. Don't. You just kind of adventure that kid's life. Yeah they just took off. You know school rules.
They just took off after Mt.. There was one was that there they were like probably tough follow you around. But now I think they did do a lot of things were. There on the lot of things the way. They did. Like within the first week they were. Not in the book you talk about your experience on horseback. Have you did you ever I'm sure you must've gotten to where you were comfortable in the book because you weren't real comfortable certainly were beginning in the book to look at we're going to talk about the book tour but the book covers just about a year through the Persian Gulf. When you hear it and you talk about how there's a fair few words that you must of got more comfortable maybe not but by the time I got really comfortable or fairly comfortable and fairly confident on Mars last week. And then made a very good semi down yet so I still rolling afterwards but. It was not. Working with them indoors I was pretty anxious but I still did it but. I never had to rely on. Them.
For some time. Yeah I didn't push a bookkeeper much very very small or nothing at all. Well when when you were here first you guys were still working the range right. And now when did that you know that the capital. I know that you used a butcher you helped butcher as well right. The cattle went rigid that'll kind of come to a close or was it at the end of the crab season. The big crab first in the early eighties or. What brought all that to the right. Well. After a crash. We saw a lot of meat to the bone. Room. And right. On the boat through working out their reactive a way to get me to town. After they left or why. Go away we had to get beat down. They're flying pretty hard there on their. Part time so they get out there. When the weather was. Enough to get it all. It was just too easy for them to write a bunch of money. There are a.
Lot of trouble down. That. Plane. Right. There and. They're just. Got. More. Work. So they're looking to tell me. We talked earlier about this. Last April that that was quite a story from Milan. From 1992 from all of my two of the 10 euros wanted to be free. So we wanted to get a movie not. For the surgery. So why we try as much as possible to do Not that she didn't have to write I was going to take both horses from the Four Horsemen like mine. As far as he could take the boat and then you could get his horse well. Idea I did that but he wants to you he likes to write Madi Lewis
rattles. My stuff. I'm scared Monty. So yeah you're right Velvet because I could I could handle velvet with my horse I could bleed. Don't let me keep my sheep on my horse. The film or digital sat near him and by the time I was halfway to the word he was with the boy. Percent of governors burst out to her she wouldn't go any further so I had to run down find mail order wording of the body as a play by the book it was it was darling you're soliciting out of the stadium one of the writing time. Get the verses explain where the kettle back down here with. Regard to round up that did happen we have about two minutes and had about 15 more. Water. I was knocked down. Maybe we formalized. Before. We have a. Slaughter house and I got away from us and. The little Mary was one. Of the. First to get around them. And on. I was. With some pretty much grew.
Pale. So we lost those horses cattle. There on a sorcerer managed and he said Well longest word here let's just pick the strawberry short that's all just throws a straight razor over the worst and we got our forces and we picked strawberries and ate strawberries a lot of the cows and then we had to ride home which was about eight miles. Down that was the last time we ever together. Really went after him. He's gone out a couple times gotten. Gotten. Animals out with. Other Guys. That was the last. One mare of the the cattle that are down there. Then our lease or a Canadian company in their midst on the right and. They they take care of. The cattle. To market will. Have. Their Way. And they're also one of the there's two ranges over there. Yes. OK. OK. OK so they're out there
just in the summer is there anybody out there taking care for one of them or not they're going to have my and they're. Not taking care of. Yourself. Not me and right here they did. Well on the. Ground. I don't want to. Come back. Now but I guess. That's one of the horses were brought out on a barge down there. They're here. To remember the seal and ship from an end of the earth has been all figured out by them don't house and then they brought it down with their own. We're. In the front. Yard. Yes I think it was me that yes it was with him and then the on the how did they get under sort of an effort from a man or what did they do. Oh we had a talk that I got off the dock and ran. Off. OK. Yeah that must've been an adventure. Well now you have. On the internet doing all that and more
but you're out there permanently. You have a working vacation. Coming. Right. In the summer. Now I have these increases the books are for. Well you've got work or one of the biggest reading there that maybe some worse than the book. But let's go back before we get into that talk about poker night which I will show here. There you were first published because they're not is it. Right is that the first time Well National Geographic I think the first that the first magazine that I. Published was Alaska magazine you OK. I did a big article on the ranch in the last night to see. The tv. Guide. Oh yes. That's right. Oh yes. OK and then I wrote for Alaska flying also. For spin off the new how to magazine right. Before the war started. Country countries are comparatively new. My own country started in 89. You. Know.
Well so you actually just sort of like pages from your diary. What not the how that got started. I wanted them. When I saw they sent me a magazine and they had such beautiful photography in that magazine I wanted to get some I'm not doing it because he takes such pretty pictures and they actively ask for diary pages in our day in the country. This right this kind of thing. So I sent them in the country and I sent them a pretty long letter just sort of explain where they've. Been. Some. Things of interest to explain the photographs. So when they when it came out they they published the letter and. Put all the photographs in there and. You're like yes in another room yeah. But for. Standing. If. You know. That you can get. Through
it. It generated a great deal of interest in the lower 48. I got tons and tons and tons of mail and I think the magazine got lots of mail literally. Yeah yeah yeah so much mail I watch won't even get our mail anyway. No you carry 500 lb right now across three decks or I get to their vote. So as a result of. You corresponding with the folks who perpetrate that's how the book came about. It's not one of their biggest actors. After answering reader questions for probably three years I I just thought I'm telling you stories over and over and over and over again. You're starting to really be pretty polished. I wrote to the publisher and said I was on the money to do. It. How can. One. Answer.
Questions and send you pictures and hero back and said Yes I want to just start sending him chapters so I did and took about five months I imagine to get it completed and it came out in 1994. And I was very cold mountain did all my proofreading and lots of suggestions lots and lots of it is now to move through my mountain and the boys to work there you know so it was really a family effort. And. I was very. I was very happy that they didn't change it. The publishers didn't change it except the only thing they changed was some of the language that I use because I wanted to be accurate with the. Information the shroom do not say show. I don't have to have. They didn't so they just took out that kind of language through the roof. So it's pretty much exactly as I as I rode. On Today it's a wonderful book. It's
certainly been a hit around here. I've given several of them for Christmas and I have been at this point I'll bring that up. I have a sample for Christmas one of whom I gave to my brother and would just open the letter from me right here. I'm going to see very nightmare. So we just read your letter if you get it. Well I was just fascinated by the book and I know that it's got a lot of you guys did it. I want to talk to some more about some of the things that happened. Through the years. This goes into like your first couple of years in there. Then there was an epilogue and here to talk about some of things that have happened since. Then the one thing I want to talk about is M. surgeries for heaven's sakes that's. And of course your illness now you've had the worst hip replacement. Oh. My goodness. They just didn't get it right the first time rush factor. There are a few for the money. I'm happy actually you know that or factories more like them. Oh. My goodness. So you're all in working order and I'm you're doing
alright. Oh I'd probably be too boring. Oh I don't know why. Well how long as a vendor last surgery. Right. Nearly. Six years. On one of the greatest of during all this time I mean you through the years you quit hanging out with the cattle and didn't have to do that anymore so your workload lessen. Yeah yeah. You're not running. Around the. Capital going. Forward you're getting a few along now and then a. Shallow. Draft boat. Cracked. Through the floor. But. It's over the last few years it's just been sheep that you mostly concentrated on and then has that then gone. Do you do you rely on that all the sheet rock right now. You know. During all this time the last six women did your illness that was
what he. Did. For Kay. So let's talk a little bit about that I mean here you are out of there on an island and you got to go somewhere else for medical care and just as Milt did with his hips so what. I know we're talking about the shift in the length of time that you were wrong and some of the folks that helped him. So tell us a little bit about all of that. I was gone from our. Town. And. Then for. The cause. He was there. And it was. Just. Me. He just came down the centuries and their kids. Ran. Back to John's we had. She came from Texas and that was how she came to be here. And people from the village. We had already signed a contract with. I knew.
Who to contact with anyway surveyors to do a survey for the need. To transfer or to provide the just. For the point to me. For all the lumber for like six weeks a long time. Their lives are gone. And base your operations are there for that and they are graceful and can drop whatever she was doing came out and. I don't know how many people. From the. From the village. You know. Then because we were. We just said that if you want. To do. And. You did it and the village bought my first prosthesis and two women from town Pluto threw down and. Brought me. The track plus a huge get well card poster that Suzy had painted with all the
Aleutian wall flowers and everybody had signed it everybody in town just little just little good luck or a. Keep on truckin whatever you were snotty You know even after 10 years. Yeah I'd still you know it was nice. You know that you've got that kind of friends. Yeah lots of them have never met me can run me from the ranch twice in that six years that I've lived there. I didn't. Lose the amazing the things that the people that you're a blue collar they're literally right. Really you know all that there was I would get calls on the telephone from people. That said I heard of. What used to be called check. When I found out I will call Chuckie. You'll have to call cancer. And go to the B-side place. Yeah. Oh yeah.
Down. Here. It was all over the road got a lot of. Letters. People. You know. This is a nice caring community. Here. People always seem to pull together during the hard times. And. Help people through things like that. So you went through all that you went back out to the reaction and started learning how to do things then with the profits in the last year. But in the. Second half. Still a lot of talk. But obviously you learn to fly through a lot. Yeah and I know you've got that the computer the word processor out there and. Then you're able to use that and you don't same. I mean you think. You know if you had to get off you you come through this really really well in. Africa.
So you know I can hardly remember what it was like yeah really. And I don't consider it a civil right. I really. Doubt that spending never had you. You had learned to spend prior to that. Well now it was that was interesting and telling because we were talking about that yesterday that you had never seen a spinning wheel when you were there. You know I had thought. It was all that you had to be on the I've always been interested in and rappel had seen at school had demonstrations and he tried to kill me. But I didn't believe him. At first we had a lot of trouble learning to spin. And rattle actually when you were still 10 years old he made new drop spindle with half of the seated Louis a piece of candy and a nail stuck in the board to keep it from falling out and that's what we learned to spin on and he did like that and they're not quite good at it. And then Abigail. Woodbridge. Or misfit. Came out and showed me the basics of how to use it.
Russell was on a fishing boat and. Actually he was my first friend outside a. Meal. For her. And I. Met the first person you like. How long. She knew. She had the grimness you know. You're right. And he taught me how. To clear. Your are going to and you know I know you regret one of the drugs that you made that serious Brandy Jennifer Merritt you may call your own. Your teammate that I listen to all your old guys mostly middle of nowhere you or Look out there I'll use anything that will have color. Whatever. Whatever colors and I need lots of lichens good color. Formality. Related Which is that brown kind of stuff that grows on Driftwood right leg and golden yellows lookin more green arrow and push to get really nice.
Marks not. Cracking. RUTH. Given why. Not. Go. Nowhere. Mostly I can make brains and go. On Bill if. You like and will get really dark Magenta the colors I can't make for my natural colors. I use blue color. It works right. I make a huge Easter of. Their knickers. And jello make a nice. One. Yeah I use it if people see me black Raftery or BlackBerry jello which you know visits are too much but then I use it to die rich or cool if my starting. Point. Well now if you were just yesterday about a school in. Little Cody and Homer in Homer Yes. Yeah I know one half of their third grade class the teacher has gotten a copy of the book I had read to the class was reading it and they were doing
or not maybe not spinning but at least they had died with lots of. Different things. Onion skin. The kind of thing that you can get the stores. In for you some losses. If they have. Several different type projects. They wanted some samples so I spun them up about 12 ounces or cool black and gray and brown. Why. I. Tend to die what I have. Said. So. They get their cars on one other place they set me a couple. Books about. She from what they had been reading. I really enjoyed seeing that. That some classroom was refusing that kind of our. Classroom project really. They sent pictures and samples. Everybody seemed to. Enjoy. The incredible Now what we talked about this yesterday too I want to know what was a typical day for
you out there. So the typical weather day maybe because this typically different than a typical summer day me lately for sure. Likely yes or no. Now we don't get any light in the winter or late yet regard to. Light a fire. For your. Life. Fired right. Back. Warm. Core gets so cold here I can. Assure you we have right now might not get out of the drawers. But. No. No. Higher Ground around. Yeah. Now let's talk about that how many buildings. 28 buildings are not fighting. Over dark and finally that my dear love how many
chickens to get. There. Forget freshly now you only have electricity at night right. Unless you. Are for hours. So you just power up at night and. For just a few left or right. You know there were that's when you told me you'd be arriving. During the night. But usually. I like. Characters off. My computers. With an inverter running back. To my. Room. Watching. Yeah. You know. And I used to write until one. Morning. And because I was from. Turns on shortwave radio in good voice of America from Washington D.C. That must be about mining and in Washington D.C. everyone I am unsure ask a lot of the folk and we
listened to world news this week. We don't know what's going on in Dutch Harbor but we know what's going on. That's all yeah I mean I like to keep up on WORLD NEWS. He listens to that. That's using my cue to start working and then we can read in bed for a couple hours. And. Not know where. They are slowly. Yeah it's just it takes a file of this together of what you need for just daily living. Now summer is a little different because you have I want to get back to these. Vacationers working vacationers are coming. So how medieval You typically have in the summer or summer where 65 people but they were all working vacation. Here's what. I use we're featuring one couple or one person. From. The room. Just because of the war. Will. The maximums.
Like. To do is. Offer a skill that we can use to get our meal and some produce when they come through their way of living with open arms. You know for. Fire. We. Really have to. Be. And. She's. Got. The. Charles was there quite a few. We're going to pick it up. Well no you were we were talking yesterday about I mean you had 16 at one calorie. And all the cooking and all that that you did. Talk a little bit about that because when we think of having 16 people in our home and you cook for that many of them it's a truer but it's not all that lives. But now when you're cooking for 16 it's a little different. Right. Well I don't know it's now a long time since I've been writing but I don't want constant so I
cook dinner where there was where there were store bought real close right. And the thing is the fuel that you used to cook on there is a little different. Well we cook on a large range. Right here. In Washington. When you are cooking for 16 people. Who have been in there. Too. Used to go out to the warehouse and cut off a leg of lamb or a rock or where. Or. Whatever now. Now I do. Freeze and. It's I have. It's hard for me to cut stuff off. And eat or usually don't do it just freezing to do it all on. One time but you do when you have to do more meat. That's what we do. We. Were which are our own and. Their. Two. Freezers. Actually were hunter gatherers operate. With our fuel. To get our food as much as possible. From washing. Around and it takes a while. Have a good day to take on.
When you have 16 people there for the family's breakfast is over supper preparation began to get stuff done. Your cold across the bay you. Are molested. Yeah you're right back at you in the book in the back. I'm going to go over here just a moment. Ship this bedroom door. Because Paris Paris clearly did not know your hallway. I'll give you that you want to hear that. But he doesn't say all this is my stuff. OK. But. He usually says Lay down probably a different tone circuit now. Yeah. I want to talk about about some of this gathering cold I mean you've got this is a this is a job I mean this is tough to do that every year you get so we get more help. Oh yeah you know. Well now I have a house. What do you do here. This is the whole process that's corrupt.
Maybe. They can shack up public beach. All of their own goodness. And how many bags or how many pails or turns are going to result in their room. To be funny here. I'm really rather cold. For. Five buckets of coal a day in the winter time a least three or maybe more. Summer. They're. Cool but. There are. So many critters typically how many trips over to the coal pile will you make getting your son working with the band on much. Guess I'll have. To be at. Home. Here in the world with three of the crew from on.
Land so that they get. Their own act. We get filled up pretty fast and the young boys there. So I guess. Workers get their section. So you take advantage of anybody like that that comes along that. They have to be aware. Of. Last year. They want to go help. Get the word. Go. But. Yeah. Go. Go go. And. I did help. There are a. Lot of. There. Now. Whatever we were talking yesterday about somebody one of the guys coming out and. That he fixed be an appliance store for the next year. Right now. If you're here or in town you can just go buy a car. Well if you're out there you can't just go buy a car. So what happens then you say you talk about having a parked car park a graveyard somewhere do you have a washing machine or a graveyard that
we can just you know pirates off. Here on. Our mountain is a. Is a matter of fact that. You are going forget regret of. The Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean. I wanted to go back and. You're here on the pool because I want to say that a couple three years ago before this book really took off. Everybody. I am. Reluctant. To. Sign our working vacation is one of the jurors that came out and wanted to be in town for. Four hours. However weeks and they'd stand up the challenger in the bunk house or if there should have. Been. But two or three years ago Scott occurring I could see this kid down from on that night from. Wall Street. To DePaul and Vince to you. Break up your car and bought you. But.
Not because an army Dushkin came out from town. Yeah and for three weeks. Oh wow. Yes well they were there for to relax yesterday and. Where they were they didn't take that long for that but with the weather. Yeah thank you. And when it was not good weather this great worship of the morning. If I wanted to say it you know because. That was. A very nice thing that happened. They had a lot of fun they don't. Want. One. More. Room. For. More. Than one merits of the book about the folks that are coming out or. And you told me after you have people that are coming over again to live made. Two trips out there what kind of profession have you had America there are what kind of. People. Carpenters we love cork understand what a we really like cooks Yeah.
And we really do like skilled people. Anybody that knows anything about a computer can just come along they can come in the winter. Than I. Have. Been very hands for. Never. Let me hear the price come out here. Yeah he's another one that can really improvise to come here and I know I have. I barely saw him this summer when he was here because he came through here and headed up there going to get stuff out there didn't get that. Now that's another thing you have people that come up to visit you in and they can't always get. Back in time or in the. PROS. Here on a strict schedule. The is not a place to be right because communication is very good. Transportation. Have you ever had one about emergencies or ever been emergencies that you've been there that that you really feared for your life or for somebody else's life if anything ever happened. I have just been really. Blessed that nothing's ever. Gone right.
There. Like there's a real journey. We had cowboys all. Four. Are. Back. Where. Are. They. No one thought I. Was on my. Home without. Merging once I got her. Out on. The. Bridge for the town and she. Said. That's that is amazing isn't it to think you're that far out on that military parade here. Yeah. Yeah. You try to keep yourself healthy. Yeah. Yeah. But. This is played over and. I. Want You To Find Out There are like out in the water off. Really that is not. The best. Yeah that's the spirit. But what happened. When we fired. Up.
The beach from a. Foreign government larger army barge out there they were doing dry dock here and they came in to have. Christmas dinner and then they give us their lives had. Never flown cross when we just had. Been. Here and that. Would make the ship a little water. Find a ship a little too much. It just sank out from under us on the leaves will be. Hard. To. Get. Will. The program without knowing that. Yeah. Carry. Water. Right. Oh. Right. Right. Yeah. My goodness. You know. The. Bearing is very unforgiving. You know. I am the one that you're not. Leaving anything yet. You guys
you don't typically take time off and come to town very often right. You were telling me yesterday when was the last time you've been off the rails. June 1994. And this is now. John was very wary of the end of January 96. And you came. You came out to because of the book. Right they came out. You. Know with one if they that were sitting right now is Randy and Jennifer's new home house. Yeah. And it's beautiful out here. And you're going to be in town for how we're. Going to be in town. This. Music. Tomorrow. Good we're doing this just down. Visiting the kids. Right. This is. Christian. Right. Yeah. Now you've got another book that's coming out. Yes and for all. That.
There we don't know the title game I guess they'll they'll title it or three they usually retain that privilege. They are good at it. So. I just I didn't want to. Read it and does it cover what exactly I kind of forget to tell us what kind of life. It's more the question and answer book than a regular C4 would be. So it's it's early days later days and mostly it's mostly in response to a lot of questions. People were very interested to learn that you had his childhood six centuries or the life they want to know about. And want to know more about the boys now want to know more about how the boys really felt about being sequestered on the island long they were growing up. We look forward to that. Now you're also writing another book now. Right. Well I'm always writing something you know. Yes I am working on a fiction. On a novel set in the Aleutian.
Don't look for it any time soon. But that's not easy to get fiction published. Yeah. I'm going for sure. Yeah. Well then you said your view your writing skills just developed from. Just the letters that you used up so. We needed a big difference. Yeah yeah I was astonished at how much you learn say in a kind of dance in a condensed form in a letter and that's when they're really what writing is all about. The. Very precise and. Usually very few words saying. The descriptive. Action. And keep the reader one lower in line and we didn't we didn't do those letters you know. Yeah. Now I want to show you some of the things. That we've got here. Jack if you can this is not so fuck this area here these this through These are from care packages.
People in the lower 48. Bless their hearts. Think that we perhaps do not. We're not really going to get store bought these are back to do this we did this for years the fact is that since we came down this year in the postoffice people send us all sorts of goodies which is really very nice really cause they're right we don't get this kind of write off very often and then if someone is not coming through town. I mean if you were out on the rare this stuffs it seared into the fourth starters every month. Now how yeah how often it's still months before you do get my MRI. We've got mail on the 30th of September and we got mail again on the 18th of December that was pretty good I want to let you back here on the river. And then we can get mail again for we came down. To check. And this fund this for a look at today's reader letter. From the. Union for software. I'm going to dump this stuff right. It's
like Christmas. You know. That's a lot to offer your close friends yeah yeah. But but you get this other stuff is very. I mean this is a very small amount compared to what I was just a month. Yeah. Your average about seven letters. It's nice when he retires at the dinner table and there are people. Yeah there are people that take time to sit down and write. What their life sure about and some or somebody that we meet or of. One family every night. After going after take off from. My friendship. Oh yeah. You may. Very well you could probably going to the United States and find somebody that's written to you that you could travel. Right we could get breakfast room. Yeah that was really interesting whenever I read that I got my brother's letter right below it was a letter from the lieutenant I was boarded in the air which is incredible the final letter from Peter Bergen Indiana when there was like a brother over. Amazing. I think that I've
covered. I do want to talk about the voice a little you know on Randall is living right here. Yes Randall. Happy. Doing very well. We're very proud of them. Love this. This the fox furs that are all are warm. Those are some that are trapped out. There. Well that's where today there's a lot to do where you. Know and trust is running a check. No chance of breaking your heart to fish. That she's. Doing dragging. Along fisherman. Yeah that's right John. Hue City.
We're very happy to have family here and they've built a beautiful home here and this is so nice for you guys to be here because of all of this is essentially not Cabana living. Not at all really living there for the let's talk a little bit about the differences just in the village the saffron so that you guys were there there and certainly since you were there you wouldn't know. But even that you're aware of when I came here on the roof and they were just down that runway from your luggage in this why we're growing and I didn't even see over the top and I'm going to get your love you get out there and it was ready to wear off and the milk set in their violent Islamist terrorist. Different. But it's changed a great oh yeah yeah I mean I mean we were agonizing over that that same kind of change and. We don't we don't know how to win. Really except that because we have. Work to prove that. You're going to have to do something and your chart is yeah right. Hard to let go that.
The memories that are out there and then they aren't but that's. Why. We don't remove. These. Yeah. Yeah and that even you know I mean that even here on this little island. Progress. Caught up with this. We know. We're now a first class city with paved roads and big buildings and they're just saying drill for a just in the 12 years that we've been here. Just carry me. Triple the population. There. In the yard walk down the street. No. No no you need to have. People like. That in your book I remember reading it you were saying that the island that this end of the island felt claustrophobic because of the mountains being so close. The water is. Very very high. You know it's very down to the range it's just. You know. Along the way you walk for miles.
Fairly yes. So this is this is a closed community. And now it's really closed and that's very close Danni out with all the other top of the buildings that are going. On in the places where you can walk in. And I can with your take of it is wide open. From where we're from down south you know there's a wide open race. So it's amazing how your perspective changes from one end of the island to the other and where you. Were sure glad you're in town and I know that when people see this interview they're going to want to meet you and and because like I say we've got a lot of new folks in town that don't even know the place after this. I do want to help the book a little bit more not they can pick this up and Nikki. I think so you have that right now Grand Illusion I think already has if I was going to ask you where else in town they might find something to bring pollution. OK. And if five Boise Hello Alaska and it's a wonderful book I highly recommend it and I'm really looking forward to next Christmas when the next move
out and that's what everybody does now getting from great progress look for a movie. This has been a wonderful time with you folks I really appreciate you taking your time and talking to do you have anything else that you want to tell viewers or are. Any words of wisdom for us. But what are future flames you just going to go back down to the ranch and maybe split your time between there and here in a little bit more. Probably you have probably. Got. More time. Yeah. Definitely spend your summers out there. Yes you. Know we really are. To me. I'm. Not worried that we're not heading south. You know. Well I look forward to spending more time with you and see in your town that and. Hoping that you become more of. A part of this do you like to see it up here. We're working
here. This is. This is fascinating you know after this people see this you may have a waiting list trying to get in that I'm not at the end of the island. Well we. Might. See more. People. Well. I've not. Been down. There a pretty rusty. Yeah we're not your preference. Get out your yacht here OK. When you just come to me and let me know I'm pretty good at finding folks I'm not I do want to make one what we talked about yesterday if you do have a flush toilet right we have a flight sure that we have to look at that's what I wondered to the thing that people most often ask you remember that long only about some. It is because you know the weather is bad out there and you want to be inside toilet the water. I believe that and that doesn't require electricity so you can read about it pretty easily. Oh and the animal species in the book and what happened appreciate
and what one party gets and. What we don't hear if you can you already lived a long life. And use a good half to species. Guys we've had I think I must have about seven have. Various stages of it don't. Treat your head right. I wasn't quite such a treasure as a way to get regular Fraiser is an effect I know but it was anything but really he was he was terribly just a readership I didn't raise and push right through the gates of Runnymede so he got to the cashier where she the facts I've put on their life plane spinning more. So and there are they're all up in the pasture. Some got some sheep dogs. Cats and rats and rabbits out there now to the
menagerie. Yeah well that takes all day to take care of all of that and the chickens and everything else. But they're so nice to. You. You're so nice to. Them. Don't walk when I. Walk outside there's a rabbit coming after seven years. Chickens who sit on your shoulder and they're just people. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Then it kind of gives you purpose for that stuff. Yeah. Yeah that's right. You get things out there that if they're done. You've got to think they're in our weather records ruthless. We get. Security. Well this again has been wonderful I wish we could separately but we'll let you go. But I appreciate it and we might do a follow up here I mean I might think of another whole one with the questions of with this come back you don't just want to go down to the island will probably get a follow up from down there. You might go see the place again. Thanks a lot for being
with us. I know there. Are. Folks out there that enjoy enjoy it. So much. Good to hear that. I encourage our listeners to do that. Waters out there. OK well thanks a lot folks and we'll get back and. Work. OK well I hope that you meet lots of new people in here and I think you will. Like a Miss escape death and all for another segment of violent Alaska. Goodnight.
- Series
- Eye On Unalaska
- Contributing Organization
- KUCB (Unalaska, Alaska)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/59-48sbcj71
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/59-48sbcj71).
- Description
- Episode Description
- Interview with Unalaska residents and ranchers Milt and Cora Holmes. They discuss their experiences as sheep farmers and describe their life on the Chernofski Ranch. Cora talks about how she and Milt met and her writing career, in both magazines and books.
- Date
- 1996-01-31
- Asset type
- Episode
- Genres
- Talk Show
- Topics
- Local Communities
- Rights
- No copyright statement in content.
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Duration
- 00:59:07
- Credits
-
-
Guest: Holmes, Milt
Guest: Holmes, Cora
Host: Deffendall, Kay
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
KUCB (Unalaska Community Broadcasting/KIAL)
Identifier: E19960131 (E035)
Format: VHS
Duration: 00:59:00?
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “Eye On Unalaska; Interview with Milt and Cora Holmes,” 1996-01-31, KUCB, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed October 5, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-59-48sbcj71.
- MLA: “Eye On Unalaska; Interview with Milt and Cora Holmes.” 1996-01-31. KUCB, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. October 5, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-59-48sbcj71>.
- APA: Eye On Unalaska; Interview with Milt and Cora Holmes. Boston, MA: KUCB, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-59-48sbcj71